If you're talking about an inexpensive fluid trainer, those are easy to come by - LBS, eBay, Craigslist, etc. - but be aware that in mounting your bike to a fluid trainer you will burn through back tires in no time (the resistance wheel eats the rubber up). Also, be aware, if you have a carbon frame, it puts a LOT of stress on the carbon in areas and ways that the bike's frame was not designed to be stressed. It could damage your carbon frame over time; however, if you have a metal frame, you should be fine.

If you're talking about a trainer like the more expensive Cycleops 100, 200, etc., those are a bit harder to come by right now. My recommendation is to wait until about January\February, when people's good intentioned New Year's resolutions, and or Christmas gifts, have given way to the reality that they are not as motivated as they originally believed. You can usually pick these $1,200+ trainers up for about $600-$800 and generally in Like New condition.

Ben...bad news, better news and good news. I've copied and pasted the body of an e-Mail from one of the LBS's (East Ridge Bicycles) below. There's a LOT of information about local trails in different locations and that Raccoon Mtn. is currently closed. :o( They'd be a great resource for getting directions, recommendations and or getting together with a regularly riding group.

Let me know if you have any questions, or you're welcome to give them a call - 423-894-9122. If you call, ask for Chris and make sure to tell him that David Yalden passed along his information. Wayne and Garth are the owners (Wayne's World fans may be wondering...yes, those are actually their names).

''Many of you know about the MTB race this Saturday (Feb. 20) at Prentice Cooper Wildlife Reserve. Registration begins at 8:30 am and the race begins at 11:00 am. There are classes for beginner, intermediate and advanced racers. Good luck to all you racers!!!

I got a call from Jeffrey Scharschmidt with SORBA Chattanooga. After much deliberation, SORBA has elected to close the Racoon Mountain trail system until further notice. With all of the freeze/thaw that's been going on, and the continued use of the trails in bad weather, the trail conditions are not optimal and need some heavy maintenance. So they are asking you to please not ride up there for the time being. He wanted you to know that for technical riding, Booker T. Washington State Park trail is open and in good shape. Harrison Bay is also open, but a bit wet.

SORBA has a lot of great things happening in our area. Jeffrey said that some areas of interest are the new trails going in in the Enterprise South location. 7.5 miles of singletrack have already been cut and now needs fine tuning.

The Stringer's Ridge area has been declared a preserve now, so plans to shape up the trails there are upcoming.

Talks with the Lula Lake Land Trust and Cumberland State Park are going very well to open up more trails on Lookout Mountain. Many of you know of the old 5 Points loops there, and they have been off limits for some time now. But we should be able to ride them soon!

SORBA is also planning on an additional 9 miles of single track running from the top to the bottom of Racoon Mountain.

SORBA can use all the help it can to get these trails ready for all of us to use. Please visit their website and sign up for a trail maintenance day: www.sorbachattanooga.org

Jeffrey wanted me to mention that not only will you help in getting our local trails in tip-top shape, but those who come out to work days will have early riding priviledges.

Many of you know that East Ridge Bicycles have added a new line of mountain bikes. We are now welcoming Pivot to our fold. You really must see these beautiful machines! So to help you get a better feel for these new bikes, ER Bikes will host a tech night just for Pivot. Pivot is graciously sending one of their techs to the shop on Monday, March 8 for a tech session. You will hear first hand all about the manufacturing process and why they do what they do. There will be FREE FOOD for this event as well.''

Hey, Ben. For road biking, I've always liked the Chickamauga\Chattanooga National Military Park. It's a Mecca, of sorts, for joggers, walkers, cyclists and even horseback riders. Generally, motorists are more alert when driving the Battlefield (the common name we have for it) but every now and then, you get some dumbass who isn't paying attention, or a teenager who thinks it's cute to drive in the bike lane while you're in it, too. Sadly, morons are everywhere, but their numbers are far, far fewer in the Battlefield.

When the weather gets better, give me a shout and we can meet up for a ride. I'm not sure what your average speed or distance are but I'll most definitely be getting back into the swing of things for the first month or so, so one of us might have to take it easy on the other.

I'm not an MTB'er, so I'm the wrong person to ask about trails; however, I have some friends who are avid trail riders and I'll gladly ask them for recommendations.

As for a good shop, River City Bikes, on Frazier Ave., is fantastic! Ronny (the owner) and Noah (shop manager) are a couple of great guys with an equally qualified and fantastic crew. I believe most, if not all, of them are MTB'ers except Van.

There's also the Trek Store just about a mile from River City. Mike (shop manager) is extremely knowledgeable! And they're all a top notch team.

If you're closer to the Hixson area, Owen Cyclery (where I purchased my Madone) won't steer you wrong. Erik was the guy who took care of my order and bike fitting. The shop is co-managed by Erik and Bryan. They're the oldest, and original, Trek dealer in the area.

Let me know your general locale and I'll ask my friends what they're recommendations are for really good MTB rides...unless you don't mind to go a little out of the way to get to a great ride!

I'm new to Chattanooga and am looking for places to ride. I've got a mountain bike, so trails would be awesome. I do have slicks on it right now and am in the process of purchasing a new fork that locks so road rides are less bouncy.

This is a new forum developed to address questions and or concerns people may have about cycling in the Chattanooga area. Anything from proper posture, bike (frame) size, places to ride, problem areas (dogs, motorists (blind hills), construction, etc.), to watch out for as well as general questions and updates.

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